The Welsh Government has been criticised for failing to protect Llanwrtyd Wells residents from flooding following a public meeting last weekend.

On Saturday, Mid and West Wales MS Jane Dodds hosted a meeting with locals at the Neuadd Arms Hotel where recent damage caused by flooding was discussed.

Residents have faced years of collapsing and blocked drains, but at the start of the month, properties in the town were flooded and sink holes opened up.

At the meeting, several residents expressed concern over what was described as a poor response from public bodies following the flooding.

The Welsh Government was criticised for failing to complete flood defence work before the flooding took place, which may have prevented several properties from being damaged.

After the meeting, Ms Dodds vowed to hold the Welsh Government to account “for their failings.”

Commenting on the need for improvements to the town’s flood defences, Ms Dodds said that it was “important that we ensure that this failure does not happen again.”

“As the climate crisis worsens and we begin to see extreme weather cases like this more often, it has become increasingly more important to ensure that public bodies responsible for protecting our communities are doing their jobs properly,” she said.

“Unfortunately in Llanwrtyd Wells, we saw the opposite of this. Residents were let down by the inaction of the Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales, this cannot be allowed to happen again.

“I know that the recent flooding has badly affected many people in and around Llanwrtyd Wells, which is why residents need full support in helping them to recover. I will continue to lobby the Welsh Government to ensure that both residents of this town, and across Mid Wales, are not ignored when it comes to protecting them from flooding and other cases of extreme weather.”

Llanwrtyd Wells town councillor Martin Pigott added: “The people of Llanwrtyd Wells have endured anxiety about flooding issues for years, and now it's happened.

“One week ago flood water washed through people's gardens, homes and businesses.

“We need urgent action from the Welsh Government and Powys Council working together to clear up the damage to people's properties and offer a long-term solution.”

The Brecon and Radnor Express asked the Welsh Government what steps were being taken to prevent future flooding in Llanwrtyd Wells and what was currently being done to support residents, as well as their response to criticisms raised during the public meeting, particularly regarding the delay in completing flood defence work.

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We are very aware of the devastating impacts of flooding and that is why we have maintained a record level funding of £75m for our flood programme this year which will provide protection for more than 45,000 homes.”

During a Powys County Council meeting last week, Cabinet member for a safer Powys, Cllr Richard Church, said the authority was “determined to learn from previous events and improve its response to emergencies.”